Melting Roasted Potatoes

It’s kind of an unusual recipe title, I’ll give you that. Melting potatoes? Like, what is that? I’ll tell you (you had to know I would, right?).

Melting roasted potatoes are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. After punching your way through the golden, buttery outsides, they nearly melt in your mouth with the delicious, soft texture.

Or in other words, they’re divine. Melting. Roasted. Potatoes. Divine.

And if you happen to have leftovers, they make the most amazing breakfast hash – just chop ’em up and sauté them the next morning with a few onions and scramble in some eggs, if you’d like, for a hearty, tasty breakfast.

Other than planning for the baking time (just under an hour), these couldn’t be easier and make the most fabulous side dish for just about anything.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, making sure one of the oven racks is in the upper-middle position. Square the ends off the potatoes by cutting off the rounded edges (you don’t have to chop off a lot, but you want the ends flat) and then cutting the potatoes into about 1-inch thick slices.

In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the butter, thyme, salt and pepper. Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 9X13-inch ceramic or metal baking dish (don’t use glass as it can shatter when adding the chicken broth later).

Roast the potatoes for 20-22 minutes, until the bottoms are browning around the edges. Remove the baking pan from the oven and flip the potatoes with a flat spatula. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, flip the potatoes again and add the chicken broth and garlic. Roast once more (last time, promise) until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has reduced just slightly, about 15 minutes.

72 comments on “Melting Roasted Potatoes”

I’m so glad you tackled this recipe and provided a great version for us. I’ve seen similar recipes on the Internet, but they called for baking at 500 degrees, and I don’t want to crank up my oven that high. Your recipe is kinder to my oven. Thanks!

Oh my goodness these potatoes are just so ridiculous delicious! They might have to become a Sunday night tradition (though they were also excellent on a Friday!) Once again you’ve knocked it out of the park!

I have made these quite a few times now and they have been a solid hit every time!! Even the picky kids love them! I have only a pyrex pan to use, so I heat the chicken broth a bit in the microwave first so the pan doesn’t break and it seems to work fine!!

One of the best things to hear at the dinner table is 3 kids, ages 9, 7 and 5, saying “Oh, Wow!” in unison. Yep, that’s what I heard tonight as they each put one of these babies in their mouths. Once again amazing, Mel, just amazing! Even my 11 yr. old, who “hates” potatoes, gasped with taste bud delight when he tasted one. Thanks for never disappointing me!

I just made these for dinner and they were AMAZING. Probably one of the best ways I’ve ever made potatoes, outside of mashed potatoes. The texture was absolutely spot on; loved the carmelized crunch on the outside and the creamy insides. And the sauce was just amazing yet healthy. I only changed the spices and did parsley and paprika, because we prefer those. But seriously what a great recipe. Thanks so very much!!!

I am just wondering…anytime you say to use minced garlic, do you mince it by cutting with a knife or do you put it through a garlic press? I have never owned a garlic press before and I’m not sure if that would work, but sometimes I feel I don’t get the garlic pieces small enough with a knife. I was wondering if a garlic press would be much faster and easier?

Hi Christin – yes, I’m usually referring to pressing the garlic through a garlic press to get those finely minced garlic pieces although you could certainly do the same with a knife (although I’m not talented or patient enough to get the pieces small like it does in a press).

Thanks MarkB for the worthless and snobbish comment. Not sure why you’re on Mel’s site when you should probably be spending your time studying the history of FRENCH/EURO cuisine and reading your favorite cookbook authors. I don’t think you get the point of this site, and therefore it’s probably not for you.

I made these tonight, and they were absolutely melting in my mouth! One of my son’s, who only likes potatoes that are mashed, had 3 helpings. So, THANK YOU again for a great hit! I’ve litterally made a “cook book” from your recipes. Thank you for continuing to share your talents with the world!

I made these last night for company. The potatoes tasted good but mine were very dark brown, looked almost burnt. Your picture they are white with a golden top and bottom. Mine looked that way at first, but I think adding the broth made them darken up so much that I was afraid I had over cooked them. Any thing I could do different to make them look more appetizing?

IF YOU MUST use glass, avoid the ‘explosion’ by simply pouring your broth into a measuring cup and microwaving till very hot before adding to the baking dish. You’ll avoid the extreme temp change that causes the glass to break

I love potatoes but my husband isn’t really a fan so I’m always searching for new recipes in the hope that he’ll actually enjoy a potato dish. After years of searching we finally have a winner! I made these last night and he said they were really good and that I should make them more often!! Yay!

I made these for dinner tonight to go with a rotisserie chicken from Costco. I used a large, rimmed, metal baking sheet and it worked perfectly. The potatoes were wonderful – both flavor and texture were just yummy. Thank you for this new spin on potatoes. They are a perfect side dish for an event meal (like Valentine’s for example) because they look so fancy and taste so good but are easy to prepare. Loved them!

I love potatoes so much. I made these for Sunday dinner, and they are as divine as you promised! My husband said that these potatoes “taste like something he’d eat at a fancy restaurant!” My new favorite potato recipe. Thank you! Oh, I used a glass pan, and it worked. I heated the chicken broth before adding it to the pan and let the pan cool about 5 minutes before adding it. No problem at all!

Oh my gosh! Absolutely delicious. I’m always looking for new ways to make my favorite food (spuds rule!) and this was spectacular. The fam devoured them and after one bite it’s easy to taste why they are called melting potatoes! Mel, thanks for another awesome recipe that is going in my recipe binder to be made over and over again!

Maybe this is a dumb question, but would other potatoes work like russet or red potatoes? I don’t have any yukon gold (though I love them too) and want it to be delicious and turn out right. Go for it or wait ’til I have the yukon golds???

Hey Mel,
I’m planning to try these tomorrow with the maple glazed pork tenderloin per your suggestion. I am wondering if you have suggestions regarding roasting time and temps. The recipes call for different temps and I’d like to have everything ready at the same time. Thanks!

Hi Stacie – this may be too late (sorry) but the potatoes really need the high roasting temp to caramelize and get beautiful and golden so I’d probably suggest roasting the potatoes first, taking them out and covering them while the pork cooks, then pop the potatoes in while the pork rests for 5-10 minutes and they should heat up perfectly to serve.

Holy Potato Awesomeness, Batman!! I made these for dinner last night and the were delicious!! Two things I would do different next time, though, would be pat the tater rounds dry before tossing with the melted butter mixture because it turned into a cooled gray glop that I had to schmear on after scraping the bowl. All that goodness melted and tasted just fine, though. And, I will use my sheet pan with lower edges and double the recipe, I used a metal 9×13 and the sides were too high, the middle rounds did not get enough brown crust. No leftovers, which in my household means it’s a keeper-thank you!

I have a 50 lb bag of Yukon Gold potatoes I bought for a fundraiser, let’s get melting and roasting!

To those of you with glass pans. I’ve had one of mine shatter and it’s not fun. It’s more of an explosion than a shatter. You can get an inexpensive stone wear pan at Walmart, even. It’s not worth the risk! I dont even own a glass one anymore after that experience.

These look a lot like these amazing potatoes that my father-in-law always makes with roast beef. I keep meaning to get that recipe because they’re so, so good! I’ll have to try these and see if they’re the same!

Hi Andrea – you basically just want to cut the two rounded sides off each potato so that you can then cut them into thick round disk-shapes (like a hockey puck) and have each disk flat on either side. Does that make sense?

I saw this recipe in Cook’s Country and wanted to try it out, but I don’t have a pan that isn’t glass and that will be okay at such a high temperature. I guess I need to add a new pan to my collection. Any recommendations?